Rally to Me!
by Scandinavian Sensation
Summary: In stories, the heroes get the honor and glory. Beyond their gleaming armor, their mighty weapons... The people who built them were heroes in their own right. But a hammer and tools can't fix every problem. If you can fight by their side, you can try to keep the blows from falling, and maybe even protect them from themselves. I am Midoriya Izuku, and I will be their shield!


_Hey everyone! I know, I know. I'm starting another new story when I already have a bunch active... but this is somewhat different. I volunteer some of my day as a cosplay-er to a Children's Hospital near my apartment, and recently, I was there as Aizawa. A girl that has been there for a bit loved it, and revealed that she is in love with My Hero - if you're reading this, I promised I'd write something for you :). Anyways, we spoke on and on about it, and this is kind of a culmination of several things we talked about._

_1: One of the defining traits of MHA's Midoriya Izuku is that he goes about life Quirkless, before finally being granted a chance at realizing his dream. This develops his character as he struggles to learn 'his' Quirk, while also being years behind everyone else. An AU where he has a Quirk can sometimes take away from that - so in this story, we're going to see what we can do to avoid that happening._

_2: The students of U.A. are... extremely well-defined, despite being so young. So, to counteract that, the ages will be raised to high school age, and U.A. is more of a University. I know that for many of them, they're going through that time where they're learning about themselves still, but honestly, I can personally attest that I learned significantly more about myself in Undergrad than I did in high school._

_3: There will be a few character changes - call them nerfs or buffs, if you will. These might be met with some criticism, because people don't always like change, but for one, Izuku will be a tad more confident, since he never had to deal with Bakugou's bullying. You'll see why. Two, Mineta will be replaced. I know this will get cheers, but it's not because I don't like Mineta - it's because I have something more significant to the plot in mind. He'll still be in 1-B, but with far less screen-time. Three, Yaoyorozu is probably going to be chubby. I know, stop the press. I said what?! Yes, she'll end up being chubby. Not like, ground-breaking or anything, I just think that with her Quirk, it makes sense. Not to mention, it adds another layer of complexity to her character, and you'll see what I mean. _

_That's all for THIS long AN; so sit back and enjoy. Oh yeah, there's romance, but that'll be up for you to figure out, since I'm not going to immediately make this a romance story ;)_

* * *

**In another world, in another way, Midoriya Izuku found his way to be a hero - even if it wasn't what he wanted at first.**

It started when he was 4. His Quirk had developed before Bakugou's, but that had meant little to the duo, as they promised to be the best hero-sidekick duo in all of history - Bakugou, of course, being the hero, and Midoriya being the sidekick. But to Midoriya, it didn't matter who was who, as long as he helped people. And his Quirk was proof of that ambition - his Quirk, Inspire.

It didn't make sense at first; it was an invisible effect that could honestly be ignored if someone was unaware of Midoriya's presence. It relied entirely on his mood - if he was feeling down, his Quirk's area of effect became smaller, and the effects were dimmed to almost nothing. But when he felt at his best, it was as if he could carry the world. Those around him found their second-wind with ease, and saw their abilities increase in strength. They'd be just a little bit more durable, able to take hits that they couldn't before - _inspired_, as Midoriya phrased it. And, when he was willing, he could release all of his energy to restore minor wounds. It left him tired - and the first time it happened, he had slept for three days at the nearest hospital, recovering his lost energy. It was a Quirk that truly benefit someone who wanted to help.

But, things changed.

When he was 9, his father, Hisashi Midoriya - a hero on-duty during Izuku's childhood - suffered an encounter with a man known as the Hero Killer, and was found dead in an alleyway near Hosu. It wasn't fair. Izuku never forgot any of the days that followed the news, and he couldn't forget the look on his mother's face when she bid her husband - and _his_ father - goodbye one last time. It was at that funeral that he decided he couldn't be a hero. He couldn't do that to his mother.

What kind of hero neglected their family's wishes? What kind of hero caused his family pain whenever they thought about their child's career path? It just wasn't something that Midoriya could do to his mother; not now, at least. He wasn't a revenge-seeker, either. The Hero Killer... was just one more face in a sea of killers, and his goals were no different than any other heinous villain. But Izuku didn't have the blood lust to search him out and end his reign - maybe Bakugou did, and maybe Bakugou would do it... but he couldn't. He wouldn't.

The day that he'd told Bakugou that he wasn't going to be a hero, they had a fight. It wasn't unexpected, after all. They had plans - they had dreams together.

_"You're just scared! You're scared of dying! Heroes die all the time - why should this be any different, huh?!" _

Bakugou had later reconciled with him in his own way. Midoriya forgave him in his own way. In the end, Bakugou was Midoriya's truest friend - the only friend he really had. Sure, other kids were nice to him, but nobody stuck at his back like Bakugou. When bullies from a grade above them tried to challenge him, it was Bakugou who stuck up for him. When he doubted his own strength, it was Bakugou that (roughly) told him that he was the only one that he wanted at his side. Even though they had their spats (rare as they were, because Midoriya hated confrontation), in the end, they silently forgave one another because they were friends.

As Midoriya knew, things could change fast. Middle school was a blur, and high school was even more rushed. The double team took their school by storm, and between Bakugou's overwhelming power and Midoriya's analytical mind, there almost seemed to be nothing that could stand in their way.

Midoriya knew better, though. He remembered his father - and how strong his father had seemed. He wasn't that high on the heroic rankings - those that were parents typically fell because they became less active - but he was infallible in the eyes of an infant. He was the picture of strength. The very thing that Izuku wanted to be. Yet... he still fell. And Izuku never forgot. He knew they needed to train. To become better. So he came up with a plan.

* * *

The afternoon sun hung mid-sky on Dagobah Beach, casting glowing orange rays upon the once-polluted landscape, watching the bustle of the city underneath its magnificent glow. In front of a rather large pile of rusted debris, a teenager stood still, staring at the horizon, lost deep in thought.

In between his fingertips, he idly spun a faded metallic badge, the metal brushing against his calloused patches of skin. The surface of the amulet barely held the sheen to reflect the sunlight; instead, the beams of light simply struck the badge and were soaked inward, warming the small accessory.

Waves gently crashed against the uneven banks of sand, some taking various pieces of trash away, others bringing the pollutants back, as if the sea were refusing the foreign materials, knowing they didn't belong in its grasp. The teenager unconsciously avoided the waves, taking small steps backward to avoid the rise of the water, though his gaze didn't break from the horizon.

"Oi, Dekiru!" A voice broke the steady ambiance of nature, startling a small bundle of nearby birds, and breaking the teen's train of thought. He turned his gaze to see a blonde-haired individual testily walking from beyond the mounds of trash, eyeing the piles with disdain. "You better have a good reason for calling me out here, you hear me?!"

The teenager - Dekiru, as he was referred - smiled a wobbly smile that, somehow, seemed to fit perfectly onto his face, accenting his shimmering emerald eyes and splash of freckles. "Sorry to call you out so late, Kacchan. I just thought... maybe you'd want to train?"

'Kacchan' huffed, kicking at a loose slab of metal with moss growing on its surface, before coming to a halt a few feet from the man that summoned him. Previously, his eyes were simply bored, red eyes shifting lackadaisically from side-to-side, evaluating the overrun beach. However, at the mention of training, he perked, and something akin to a blood-thirsty look crossed his face.

"If you wanted your ass kicked, you didn't need to mask it as training." The grin only grew on the blonde's face as he lowered himself into an aggressive stance.

"W-wait, wait, wait!" The green-haired teenager threw his hands up, flinching slightly, before peeking through his fingers in hopes that the teenager had heeded his request to stop. Seeing the disappointed look back on his face, the teen sighed in relief. "I... I didn't call you here to fight! I wanted to help you train, you know, for U.A."

Clearing his throat, he continued. "I-I drew up some ideas for you to improve your Quirk in new ways." He removed his notebook, gesturing a specific sketch, smiling as he did so. "See?"

_Name: Bakugou Katsuki_

_Quirk: Explosion_

_He secretes Nitroglycerin-like sweat from his pores and can detonate the sweat at will, resulting in explosions. He can increase the power of his explosions at the cost of muscle fibers in his arms. _

Bakugou rolled his eyes, a small smirk fixated on his face as he gazed at the drawing, idly tracing his finger along the words scribbled on the page. "You're a fucking stalker. Midoriya Izuku. Quirk: Stalker."

Admittedly, that _wasn't_ the reaction that Midoriya was hoping for, and he couldn't help but pout momentarily. Sighing, he stuffed his notebook back into his backpack and crossed his arms, leveling his gaze with Bakugou.

"You know you need to be at the top of your game to get into U.A."

"Tch." Bakugou clicked his tongue, turned away, and folded his arms over his chest, eyeing a particular trash pain with sudden interest. "You doubtin' me?"

"No," Midoriya said confidently. And he was being honest - he could never doubt Bakugou. As far as drive went, there was nobody quite like the blonde-haired teenager. His goal, paired with his ferocious tenacity, made him a nearly unstoppable force of nature, and anyone in his way was either forced to move, or risk being run over. It was Bakugou's ambition that inspired Midoriya - that pushed his own Quirk forward.

There was a stare-off between the two. Bakugou's ruby eyes narrowed, locking onto Midoriya's eyes, and the green-haired teen suddenly felt the indescribable urge to look away. But, against his nature, he held his gaze, trying his hardest to push back his rising anxiety. A moment passed - to Midoriya, it felt like an hour - before Bakugou looked away, snorting as he did so.

"Alright, you win, nerd."

It was a large win in Midoriya's book, too. He honestly hadn't expected Bakugou to cave so easily. The explosive teenager was mildly arrogant, his confidence bolstered by his powerful Quirk and innate sense of combat, and he was equally disagreeable at times. For him to back down as fast as he did meant that he trusted the process. "T-thanks! Trust me, this'll help."

"Yeah, yeah," Bakugou said, conceding to his friend's desire and beginning to stretch. "You better be training, too."

"Y-yes! It'll be good practice for Inspire, too."

Lowering himself into crouch, Bakugou pressed his elbows against his inner knees, pushing them outward, grimacing as he did so. "So what's your big idea?"

"Well..." Midoriya looked to each mound of trash, feeling a bubble of motivation spread within his chest as an image began to form in his mind. Without knowing, his Quirk began activating, a gentle golden glow coming from his body. "I figured we'd clean up the beach - by whatever means necessary. I know you can practice bigger explosions on some of the trash piles, and other objects we'd move physically. It'll be a good substitute for weight-lifting."

"And how are we going to move the trash once we get it off the beach?"

Midoriya paused mid-stretch. A frown touched his lips. He hadn't thought that far ahead.

It seemed that Bakugou realized this, as a wide, shit-eating grin crossed his face slowly, before he began laughing at his friend's stammered reply. "Jeez, you come up with this idea and don't even plan the whole thing out? What a Deku!"

Quietly, Midoriya huffed. "Don't have to be mean about it..."

"Whatever," Bakugou said, dismissively waving off the comment. "Let's just get to work."

"But where do we even start...?" It was a valid question, after all. Midoriya looked up and down the ragged beach, trying to identify a good starting ground, but ended up giving up as he couldn't see beyond the mounds of trash and discarded debris. The bubble in his chest began to fade slightly, and in turn, the golden glow dimmed, diminishing with his fading optimism.

A quick smack to the back of the head snapped him from his mood, and he quickly recoiled, hissing as he rubbed at the point of contact. He quickly turned a weak glare toward the source, mouthing a feeble '_why?' _toward Bakugou, who simply snorted as he began rounding up large pieces of scrap to move all at once.

"Idiot; you're getting discouraged." Izuku blinked; _had he been? _He hadn't felt any different... but then again, he was a terrible judge of his own emotions. "Just start at the damn beginning, like anything else," Bakugou said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He turned toward his junk pile and hefted it up, using a spare slab of steel as a carrier mechanism. "Honestly... you come up with a plan, then get so fuckin' caught up in everything..."

The blonde-haired teen strained under the weight, but slowly moved toward the same place he'd entered the beach. Midoriya frowned. "Where are you going?"

"So many fucking questions... to the dumpster - it won't hold all this shit, but it's a start."

_'Oh'_, Midoriya said wordlessly, watching his friend disappear from site.

He gazed at the small pile of debris gone, and studied the area momentarily. Truthfully, it was barely recognizable... however, it was a start. And, if one even looked close enough, they could see part of the beach that wasn't visible before; which meant...

The golden glow from earlier came back, stronger than before, as a giant grin spread across Midoriya's face. The bubble in his chest began expanding, further and further, as he began to see the vision of his goal come forth. It would take time - of course it would! They were setting out on an arduous task that had been created through years of neglect.

But they'd find a way to succeed - they always did!

Determined not to fall behind, Midoriya followed suit, finding the nearest set of tires before snaking his arm through their holes and tossing them onto his shoulder. He felt several of his muscles begin to work immediately as he looped several more tires onto his arms, finally settling at three an arm. Then, he moved forward, and immediately felt the sand impede his movements. But yet, his grin only grew larger - the challenge was _real_. This was _real_ training!

Hours passed, and the duo moved wordlessly forward, occasionally assisting each other with a particularly large object that a singular person would struggle to move, even with use of their Quirk. All the while, Midoriya focused on lifting the objects in different ways, trying to find new muscles to engage that perhaps he'd been missing before. He felt his shoulders begin to burn, and his biceps begin to ache. His legs became fatigued and his abdomen began to tire. Yet, he kept moving.

This was only day one, and yet, he was _determined _to make a noticeable impact already. He wouldn't settle until there was a noticeable amount of trash gone.

"You're still applying for the Support Course, huh?"

It was asked in passing, and clearly, Bakugou didn't expect as immediate response as he caught Midoriya when they were exchanging positions. He'd been pushing an old washing machine through the sand, but with his concentration broke, all progress halted as he processed Bakugou's question.

_The Support Course_.

U.A's Support Course, specifically. It hadn't exactly been his starting goal, but in an effort to please his mother, while also realizing his own dreams, he realized the best course of action would be to support the heroes that were saving lives. If his inventions had any chance of doing that... than perhaps that was enough. It wasn't glamorous, but it had its perks - and, his expertise in observations made it so that he had a leg up on developers, since he already had made several sketches for support gear.

Originally, the gear had been meant for him and his Quirk, but after careful redesigning, he found it could _probably _be made to support any hero. The difficult part, for him, at least, was the actual building. While he had dexterous fingers and a sharp mind, he lacked the... _know-how_ to actually build. Oh sure, he'd tried to learn. But somehow, everything just... fell back apart. He couldn't _build_, he was better at _fixing_. Tuning-up even. But the actual building process...?

For some reason he just sucked.

"Well?"

Midoriya blinked - then realized he hadn't moved in several... what could have been minutes. Bakugou, with a bundle of plastic in his arms, raised an eyebrow, clearly not amused by the lack of progress. A blush spread across his face, and he began pushing again, unaware that his golden hue had died down. "I-I, I dunno, I guess so."

It was a weak answer, and they both knew it. Bakugou snorted, clicking his tongue like he always did when he was unimpressed. "Wasteful."

"W-what do you mean?"

Red eyes met green. "I mean it's a fuckin' waste. Aside from mine, your Quirk might be the only halfway decent Quirk at our shitty school, and you're going to waste it in the Support Course."

"Hey, the Support Course is good!" Midoriya frowned as Bakugou turned back to his task, clearly unimpressed. "T-they design all the costumes and stuff!" Yet Bakugou didn't pay his words any heed as he marched on, still ignoring Midoriya's reasoning. "Wa... wait up!"

Rushing to catch up, Midoriya grabbed the edge of a refrigerator - clearly too large for him to move single-handedly - and began pulling, grunting as he did so. Whether or not it was from the high-level of exercise they'd gotten thus far, it didn't quite matter why, but the burn in Midoriya's body kept the fridge from even so much as budging, and he quickly scowled. But he didn't relent.

He _would _move this fridge.

He _wouldn't _rest until he did.

He _had _to catch up to Bakugou.

The feelings, culminating in his mind, began to overwhelm his body, and slowly, the glow grew brighter and brighter, casting a brilliant golden glow over the surface of the beach. Grinding his teeth, Midoriya didn't register his feet sinking deeper into the sand, pushing mounds backward as he dug in desperately, nor did he notice the fridge slowly begin to slide forward, until his body was no longer upright as it had been before. He took one large step forward, bracing his weight against his knee and extended leg, and felt the burn grow in his thigh as he continued straining against the large contraption. With every few feet he moved forward, he took another step to compensate for the distance gained.

Even though he faintly realized he was moving the fridge, his brain was entirely focused on each new step. Not once did the scratching noise of smaller pieces of debris being shoved aside by the hulking fridge make it to Midoriya's ears, as blood seemed to pound incessantly within his head, drowning out all noise around him. Or, maybe it was his growling and groaning, the noises of strain he released as he bore the burden of thoroughly fatigued muscles.

It all came to a climax when the fridge hit the seawall, coming to an abrupt stop. Only then did Midoriya release his focus, dropping forward like a fly struck by a bolt of lightning. He quickly rolled onto his back, ignoring the sand that stuck to his sweaty cheeks and brow, and began gulping down deep breaths of air, staring into the dark orange sky above. The afternoon sun had given way to the looming dusk, and the sun had nearly taken refuge beyond the horizon, casting the world in a hue of orange, gold and red.

"_That's_ why it's a waste."

From above, Midoriya turned his eyes lazily upward to see Bakugou smirking as he eyed the fridge up and down. The blonde finally fixated his gaze on Midoriya and gestured to the rusted metal, his smirk fading in pronunciation as he did so, changed out for a mild glare. "Don't even try tellin' me that's where you belong. I can't crush you properly if you don't even try."

"I don't..." Midoriya huffed, taking a momentary pause to shift into a sitting position. He rested his back against the surface of the machine, avoiding any sharp edges that might have been peeking out from previous damage. "I don't know what that has to do with anything?"

"Tch."

Bakugou rolled his eyes, rolling his shoulder as he did so. He broke his glare, instead, opting to gaze out on the layers of trash that still populated the beach's surface. "I'm gonna be number one, nerd, get that? It's gonna be _unquestioned_." Before Midoriya even had a chance to ask what Bakugou meant, the blonde popped off a few small explosions in his palm. The smell of smoke wafted in the air for a moment, before passing. "But I can't do that unless you figure your shit out."

He turned his ruby red eyes upon Midoriya.

"It's up to you to figure out if you're gonna be a Deku, or a Dekiru."

_'Useless' or 'Be Able To'. _

As far as it went in Japanese, it was a simple translation: and, as result, Bakugou had previously enjoyed making jokes as a child that it was all about how one wrote the Kanji in Izuku - which, simply put, meant it was all about the mood that Midoriya followed. If he was feeling passive, or otherwise disengaged, it was Deku. If he was all-aboard, it was Dekiru. It was almost a means to trap Midoriya; a way to force him to make a decision that Bakugou wanted.

"The sun's gettin' low... you think about it. And, I'll see you tomorrow if you're serious."

By the time Midoriya had stood up, Bakugou was long gone, but his words remained present, ever the same.

* * *

_For a first chapter, there's a lot going on. I know I've been gone awhile, and I'm not pledging a return - not this time. I'll update when I can. Currently, Confession is next in line with an update, I'm just slowly working on it. This story will see a bulk of updates, considering the source behind it. I know this will definitely bother some people, and I'm sorry; I just want to write the stories that have inspiration and keep it fun. Right now, the other stories are a chore, but I'm still working on updates for them. Nothing will be abandoned, but PLEASE work with me and understand that I just want to enjoy myself and my writings. Any comments otherwise will probably only serve to delay the update(s) as I consider if I'm even worth still writing._

_A penny for a thought:_

_In most AU's where Midoriya discovers/or has a Quirk from age 4, many writers continue to write Midoriya as a victim to Bakugou, and a timid child. What aspects engage Midoriya's character, however? What is it that draws us to him? For one, it's his journey and growth. Midoriya's self-doubt paired with his hero complex makes him an interesting protagonist, because he refuses to see himself as having been the one to do anything for a majority of the manga. However, his growth is a process that involves understanding lessons, such as failure to save Bakugou during the Training Camp, as well as passing the Provisional Hero Test. When he has a Quirk that comes naturally, you eliminate some of these traits. For one, he would no longer be as timid, because Bakugou is no longer targeting him specifically - and another to consider: if Midoriya had a Quirk, then why would Bakugou target him?_

_Does it revolve around their conjoined desire to become heroes embodying All Might? Or is it drawn from another source, spurning by coincidence? After all, Deku only became Deku when it was revealed that Midoriya had no Quirk. Without that, none of that occurs, and it's impossible to say if Bakugou would just choose another target. This is something for writers to consider, and plan for. A character without flaws is simply non-engaging; that is why we may have a more confident Midoriya in this story, but he has developed a separate flaw that has become further evident than portrayed in the Manga._


End file.
